First UK citizens evacuated from Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa Antonia LangfordNovember 1, 2025 at 11:58 PM 0 Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica on Tuesday, leaving around 8,000 Britons stranded Octavio Jones/Reuters The first charter flight evacuating Britons from Jamaica after the island was devastated by a Category 5 hurricane was set to take off on Saturday. Around 8,000 British citizens are understood to be on the Caribbean island. The Foreign Office said the flight for those unable to fly home commercially would depart from Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport.
- - First UK citizens evacuated from Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
Antonia LangfordNovember 1, 2025 at 11:58 PM
0
Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica on Tuesday, leaving around 8,000 Britons stranded - Octavio Jones/Reuters
The first charter flight evacuating Britons from Jamaica after the island was devastated by a Category 5 hurricane was set to take off on Saturday.
Around 8,000 British citizens are understood to be on the Caribbean island. The Foreign Office said the flight for those unable to fly home commercially would depart from Kingston's Norman Manley International Airport.
Hurricane Melissa tore across Jamaica after making landfall on Tuesday with 185mph winds and left 19 people dead on the island.
The historic southwestern town of Black River, which bore the brunt of the hurricane, was reduced to ruins, with analysis suggesting up to 90 per cent of its structures had been left without roofs.
b'
Black River devastation
'
Around 77 per cent of Jamaica is still without power, while parts of the country have been deprived of water for several days as almost half of its water systems remain offline. Just 35 per cent of mobile phone networks are working.
Around 13,000 people remained in shelters as of Friday.
The Foreign Office previously urged British nationals to exit the country using commercial services, but chartered a small number of flights for those unable to do so.
People with medical needs and children will be given priority, while British nationals and their immediate family members, as well as members of the Windrush generation, will also be eligible.
Jamaicans gathered at a market looking for supplies following Hurricane Melissa in Black River - Abbie Townsend/The New York Times
The UK government announced a secondary tranche of emergency humanitarian funding to Jamaica on Friday, amounting to £5m, following a £2.5m support package announced earlier in the week.
The funds will be used to deliver humanitarian aid to those without homes and electricity, while the UK also deployed technical experts and relief supplies to support the disaster response.
The package includes more than 3,000 shelter kits and some 1,500 solar-powered lanterns.
Some of the money will also be used to match donations to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent.
An aerial view of Falmouth, Jamaica, in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa - Matias Delacroix/AP
King Charles and Queen Camilla were among those who donated to the Red Cross humanitarian appeal, providing support to those affected by Hurricane Melissa, the charity said on Saturday.
Earlier in the week, the King described himself as "deeply concerned and profoundly saddened" by the damage wreaked by the hurricane, but praised the "enduring spirit of strength, solidarity and steadfastness" of the Jamaican people.
The monarch, who is also head of the Commonwealth, said he has held "the greatest affection" for Jamaica since his first visit to the island while serving in the Royal Navy on the West Indies station more than 50 years ago.
"I know that no disaster can break her people's enduring spirit of strength, solidarity and steadfastness," he added.
Beatrice Butsana-Sita, the chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: "King Charles and Queen Camilla's donation will help the IFRC network continue its lifesaving work, particularly in Jamaica, such as through search and rescue and ensuring people have access to healthcare, safe shelter, clean water, food and other essential supplies.
In nearby Haiti, authorities the death toll from Hurricane Melissa to 30 and said that 20 people remained missing, mostly in the country's southern region, after days of torrential rains.
One person died in the Dominican Republic, which experienced heavy flooding, while no deaths have been reported yet in Cuba, which was battered by strong winds for the duration of the storm.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Source: "AOL Breaking"
Source: Breaking
Published: November 01, 2025 at 08:54PM on Source: EVENING MAG
#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle
